Naval defence plan is substandard

Brian Toohey provides convincing evidence that the government’s expenditure of over $30 billion on building submarines in South Australia is a nonsense – economically, operationally and strategically (“Politicians engage in pricey naval gazing", AFR, June 24).

The Hawke government instituted this folly as a vote buyer in marginal electorates. Of all the possibilities for spending locally on defence, Hawke minister Kim Beazley came up with this aberration in the face of departmental analysis showing submarines have little to offer Australia and against the Navy’s wishes. Defence has some exquisite intellectual property and technology which would be of enormous importance to Australia’s defence that can only be developed by us, but has been buried by this political indulgence.

As Toohey points out, the Coalition is falling in behind, having systematically opposed almost everything else this government proposes. Where are you when it really matters, John Faulkner?

As Toohey notes, the US is interested only in having someone else doing the dangerous snooping for their Pacific command, the capability for which they lack, by choice. It is inevitable that one day the illegal penetration of our submarines deep inside the sovereign waters of great north Asia powers will be apprehended with calamitous repercussions for our international standing.